As recently as the 1970s, the United States and North Vietnam were waging a war that claimed 58,000 American lives and a million or more Vietnamese lives, including many civilians. Today Vietnam is one of the largest markets for US ag exports, ranking seventh, eighth or ninth in recent years. It’s not that the war […]Continue Reading
Climate change policy has entered a new era. The growing row between the United States and the European Union over the impacts of the new American green subsidy regime makes that all too clear. Yet in many ways, this story is ultimately about China. For the last 20 years, developed countries have used three main […]Continue Reading
The Russia-Ukraine war has exacerbated an energy crisis that directly affects the costs of heating, cooling, lighting and mobility, and indirectly pushed up the costs of other goods and services throughout global supply chains. While all households are affected, they are affected in different ways depending on their income, how they spend their money, and […]Continue Reading
US private equity firms funded a scant $100 billion in new deals during 2022’s fourth quarter, barely more than a third of the 2021 peak, the website EY.com reported. The trade group blamed “lingering impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising interest rates at home, and conflicts abroad” for the poor showing. Private equity commitments in […]Continue Reading
ASML Holding, the world’s largest supplier of chip-making machines, accused a former employee in China of stealing data from a shared drive, leading to a possible violation of certain export control regulations. The accusation was made in the company’s 2022 annual report released on Wednesday. It comes as the Dutch and Japanese governments are reportedly […]Continue Reading
The 50 Americans who gave or pledged the most to charity in 2022 committed to giving US$14.1 billion to foundations, universities, hospitals and more – a total that was 60% below an inflation-adjusted $35.6 billion in 2021, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s latest annual tally of these donations. The Conversation US asked David Campbell, […]Continue Reading
SINGAPORE – Finance Minister Lawrence Wong expects “positive but slower” growth in Singapore this year due to high inflation and a slowing global economy, headwinds the city-state hopes to address through an expansionary budget designed to help households and businesses. Unveiling a S$104 billion (US$78.4 billion) spending plan in parliament on February 14, Wong said […]Continue Reading
Under President Joe Biden, the United States has stepped up its campaign to build out and expand its geostrategic position in the Indo-Pacific. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s recent White House visit was a significant payoff for this strategy. The visit was preceded by Japan’s announcements in December 2022 of a new security strategy, including the doubling of […]Continue Reading
Military radar failed to detect China’s spy balloon but Chinese investment in US agriculture has become a big blip on politicians’ radar screens. In Washington and state capitals, legislators seem eager to shoot this bogey down. Some of the bills they’re proposing would subject Chinese ag investment to greater scrutiny. Others would ban it outright. […]Continue Reading
JAKARTA – Driving down Jalan Sudirman through the heart of Jakarta’s neon-splashed central business district these days is an eye-opener. In many high-rise buildings, entire floors are blacked out, compelling evidence of how the Covid pandemic has changed methods of doing business. It really began some years ago, but the pandemic greatly accelerated the move by many companies towards […]Continue Reading